Teacher Advocates Oppose Bill To Change Pay

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Advocates for educators are criticizing a bill that would change the way teachers are paid.

Senate bill 386 would base teacher pay on student performance and peer reviews rather than teacher education level and experience.

Governor Sonny Perdue says the plan was developed after surveying over 20,000 Georgia teachers. Most of whom said they wanted the change.

Jeff Hubbard with the Georgia Association of Educators says that the poll didn’t reach the majority of the state’s 125,000 certified teachers, and many of them didn’t complete it because it was given out right before final exams.

"Now that the details are out what we would call on the governor to do is survey the certificated educators now in the state and see what they think," says Hubbard, "because I haven’t heard the first positive comment about the plan."

Hubbard and Governor Perdue encourage educators to call their lawmakers to give input.

If the legislation passes, the so called performance pay system would be in place statewide by 2014. It would apply to new teachers; current teachers could opt in.